ITF Group’s Logistics Glossary
A
Accessorial
Additional charges outside of the line haul.
Air Brakes
Heavy trucks use air brakes exclusively to stop the rig. When the brakes are applied, air enters the brake chamber. The air forces a push rod out, turning a slack adjuster that rotates an “S” cam. This in turn forces the brake shoes against the drum, applying the friction required to slow down or stop the truck.
Appointment
If a load shows an appointment time then that is the time that the truck must arrive for the pick-up or delivery of the load.
Asset-Based Provider
A carrier that actually has the assets (e.g., trucks, terminals, warehouses, etc.) to provide physical pickup, line-haul and delivery service.
Authorized Party
The entity that can legally provide instructions that override those contained in the BOL; usually the shipper, occasionally the third party or the consignee.
B
Back-haul
The opposite of head haul. Traditionally referred to as the return trip of a transportation vehicle (usually a truck). Now, it generally refers to the least revenue-generating leg of a shipment haul. A back-haul can be with a full or partially loaded trailer.
Bill of Lading (B/L or BOL)
A legal document signed by the shipper and carrier tendering the responsibility of the freight to the carrier. The BOL states pertinent information for the shipment such as the complete address of the shipper and consignee, number of pieces, description, weight and any hazardous material information.
Bobtailing
Driving a tractor without a trailer attached.
Booking
An arrangement with a shipping company for the acceptance and carriage of freight.
C
Carrier
An individual, partnership or corporation engaged in the business of transporting goods.
City Dispatch
The part of the terminal operations charged with coordinating the pickup and delivery of shipments.
City Driver (P&D Driver)
A driver that is responsible for making pickups and deliveries from a specific terminal location. These drivers usually have a geographical area that they operate within. A city driver usually makes deliveries in the morning and picks up freight in the afternoon.
City Run (Pedal Run)
A route in which the driver stays within the boundaries serviced by the terminal.
Claim
A written request to a carrier from a shipper to be compensated for loss, damage, delay or overcharge of a package transported by that carrier.
Class
A rating assigned to products based on their value and shipping characteristics, e.g., density and how the freight is packaged. It is a system of seventeen classes, from class 50 to 500, which determines the rate.
Commodity
Goods shipped.
Common Carrier
Any person or company available to the general public for transportation of property by motor vehicle over regular or irregular routes in interstate and/ or intrastate commerce.
Consignee
Person or company receiving freight from point of origin.
Consignor
Person or company shipping freight to point of destination.
Consolidation
The act of combining multiple shipments into one larger shipment going to a specific destination.
Contract
A contract is a legally binding agreement that defines and governs the rights and duties between or among its parties
Country of Origin
The country in which a product or commodity is manufactured or produced.
Cross-Dock
Typically, the action of unloading materials from an inbound trailer or rail car and immediately loading these materials in outbound trailers or rail cars, thus eliminating the need for warehousing/storage.
Cross-member, rear
The transverse member at the extreme rear of a trailer to which the bumper is normally mounted and on which the stop, tail and turn lights are often installed.
Customer Order Number
The number used by the customer to identify the purchase of the goods.
Customs
The agency or procedure for collecting duties imposed by a country on imports or exports.
D
Damage
Goods that sustain injury before, during or after transit, which can result in the shipper’s, consignee’s or carrier’s liability.
Dead Head (Dead-Heading)
A shipment from one terminal to another with no applicable freight charges. Also used to describe the return of an empty transportation container/ trailer back to a terminal or facility (empty back-haul).
Delivery
The act of transferring freight from the carrier to the consignee.
Destination
Final delivery point.
Department of Transportation (DOT)
The governing body concerned about any commerce that crosses state lines. Principally, this segment of the government regulates the interstate truck operations.
Detention
This is the fee for when a driver is detained over the routing 2 hours of loading or unloading it takes to ship or receive a shipment.
Dispatch/Dispatcher
The scheduling and control of intercity traffic and intracity pickup and delivery; an individual tasked to assign available transportation loads to available drivers.
Distressed Freight
Any shipment that has a problem causing either a delay in delivery service or non-delivery.
Distribution
The activities associated with the movement of material—usually finished goods or service parts—from the manufacturer to the customer. Can include the following: assembly, transportation, warehousing, inventory control, material handling, order administration, site and location analysis, industrial packaging, data processing, and the communications network necessary for effective management.
Dock
A space used for receiving merchandise at a freight terminal.
Dock Personnel
Persons hired to load and unload freight from the trailers.
Drop Trailer
A situation where the carrier spots, or drops off a trailer at the customer’s location for loading and/or unloading of freight without the carrier’s driver being present.
Drop-and-Hook
When a driver drops his trailer at the shipper and/or receiver and then picks up another trailer in its place.
Dry Van
A 53 foot trailer that can haul dry loads.
Drop Trailer Agreement
A mutual agreement in writing between the customer and ITF Group when a trailer is spotted for loading and/or unloading purposes.
Dunnage
Items such as scrap pallets, cardboard, etc., which are used to secure freight by filling in the spaces between boxes.
E
Employer Identification Number (EIN)
An EIN is also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number, and is used to identify a business entity.
Empties
Trailers without freight.
En Route
On the way to the destination.
E-Tracks
Rails of steel on the sides of a trailer with anchor supports that assists in securing freight, one can hook straps to the anchors to help secure the freight.
Expedite
Rush handling of a shipment.
F
Factoring Company
A funding company who charges a small % to get paid faster.
FAK
Stands for “Freight of all Kinds” and is a standard commodity.
FCFS – First Come, First Serve
If a load shows this for pick-up or delivery then an appointment is not needed and the truck can pick-up or deliver within the allotted time.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCA)
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) was established as a separate administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation. Its primary mission is to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses.
Fifth Wheel
A coupling device mounted to a tractor or a dolly used to connect a semi-trailer and a tractor, or two semi-trailers. A semi-truck trailer is supported at the rear by its own wheels and at the front by the fifth wheel, which is mounted to a tractor or dolly.
Floor Load
There are no pallets and the product is loaded on the floor, most likely it will be extended time to load and unload from the standard 2 free hours.
Forklift
A motorized vehicle used to move freight that cannot be handled with a dock cart.
Freight Charge
Payment due for freight transportation.
Freight Claim
When freight is over, short, or damaged in- transit the customer may file a freight claim. A customer has 9 months to file a claim with the party that transported the freight.
Freight Forwarder
The company authorized by a shipper to perform the services required to facilitate the export of items from the United States.
Fuel Surcharge (FSC)
An additional charge added to the freight bill for the price of fuel according to the National Fuel Index to offset the high cost of fuel.
G
Gross Weight
The entire weight of a shipment including containers and packaging materials.
H
Hazmat
Freight that requires a driver to be hazmat certified on their license and have placards on their trailer. Some hazmat loads can be hauled if it’s under a certain percentage and nothing extra is needed. Broker should give you these details, if not ask them and verify with a manager.
Head Haul
The term used to define the highest revenue-generating shipping lane from shipper to consignee. Opposite of backhaul.
Hostler
An individual employed to move trucks and trailers within a terminal or warehouse yard area. (Jockey)
Hours of Service (HOS)
A ruling that stipulates the amount of time a driver is allowed to work enforced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. On January 4, 2004, the HOS rule was changed from a driver being allowed to drive for 10 hours and break for 8 consecutive hours with 15 hours on duty in a day to the current rule of driving for 11 hours and breaking for 10 consecutive hours with 14 hours on duty.
I
Image
A visual impression of a document such as a Bill of Lading and/or a delivery receipt.
Import
To bring merchandise into a country from another country or overseas territory.
Import License
A governmental document that permits the importation of a product or material into a country where such licenses are necessary.
Inbound
Freight moving toward a terminal.
Inspection
An examination, viewing or checking over for the purpose of ascertaining the quality, authenticity or conditions of an item or product.
Intermodal
Relating to transportation by more than one means of conveyance. For instance, transportation by both truck and rail is referred to as intermodal transportation.
Interstate
Freight moving between states.
Intrastate
Freight moving within a state.
K
King Pin
A large steel pin located beneath the front of a trailer. The king pin fits down into the jaws on the fifth wheel of a tractor or a dolly, thereby hooking the tractor up to the trailer.
L
Layover
The fee that is paid if a truck has to sit overnight to be loaded or offloaded.
Lease Agreement
An agreement between the carrier and ITF that they can haul our freight and meet the requirements.
Legal Holidays
Any national, state, provincial or local legal holiday.
Less-Than-Truckload (LTL)
Less than a truckload. When freight is under the 26plt amount and will take less than 45ft it can be considered a partial load and can have other freight on the trailer.
Linehaul (LH)
The flat freight rate from point A to B.
Load Bars
Removable metal bars used to brace freight inside the trailer.
Load Lock
A device used to secure and brace freight in a trailer.
Load Racks
Racks used like shelves in a trailer to add an additional layer of loading space.
Log
A driver’s record of duty for hours of service.
Logistics
All activities involved in the management of product movement, including delivering the right product from the right origin to the right destination, with the right quality and quantity, at the optimal schedule and price.
Lumper
The service responsible at a shipper or receiver to load or offload the shipment.
M
Manifest
Document that lists and describes in detail the goods in a load on a vehicle. As a rule, agents at the place of loading draw up the manifest. Also referred to as the shipping document.
Maximum Charge
The highest amount of freight and/or accessory charges ITF Group will bill the customer.
Minimum Charge
The least amount of freight and/or accessory charges ITF Group will bill the customer.
MC Motor Carrier Number
An MC number (Motor Carrier number) is also an interstate operating authority and unique identifier assigned by the FMCSA to moving companies operating in interstate commerce, in other words hauling cargo across state lines. However, while all interstate movers are required to have and display a USDOT number on their commercial carriers, not all moving companies need an MC number.
N
Nose
The front of the trailer closest to the tractor.
Noted Damage
Damage discovered before or at the time of delivery of a shipment.
Noted Loss
Loss discovered before or at the time of delivery of a shipment.
O
Outbound
Freight on a trailer that is moving out from a terminal.
OS&D – Overages, Shortages, or Damages
When freight is shipped over, under, or damaged the consignee might notate this on the POD so that the customer can later file a freight claim if needed.
Overflow
Added freight that, due to capacity, could not be loaded with the rest of the shipment in the original load.
P
P&D
Pickup and delivery. Local movement of freight between the shipper (or pickup point) and the origin terminal or between the destination terminal and the consignee (or delivery point).
Packing List or Packing Slip (Code: “PSA”)
A document provided by the shipper that travels with the freight and usually lists the contents of the shipment. It may be attached to the freight and/or the Bill of Lading or sent with the shipment as an additional piece of freight.
Pallet
A wooden frame, typically 48” x 48” used for unitizing freight. Max amount of pallets are 26 straight in or 52 double stacked straight in. 30plts sideways and 60 double stacked.
Palletized Freight
Freight that is being shipped on a pallet.
Pallet Jack
A manual device with fork extensions that can be positioned under a pallet to move it from one location to another.
Pick Up
The act of transferring freight from the shipper to the carrier, ultimately delivering the freight to the consignee.
Pigtail
Cable used to transmit electrical power from the tractor to the trailer. It is so named because it is coiled like a pig’s tail.
Placards
The square-on-point symbol on each side of the trailer signifying the hazardous materials loaded on the trailer.
Power-Only
When a carrier is picking up a previously loaded or empty trailer and transporting it to a destination.
PRO Labels
Self-adhesive stickers used to identify shipments. They are placed on the customer’s Bill of Lading, the freight bill and the freight itself.
PRO Number
Pre-assigned, freight bill number given to each shipment to serve as a tracking number. PRO is an acronym for “progressive rotating order.”
Proof of Delivery (POD)
Information supplied by the carrier containing the name of the person who signed for the shipment, the time and date of delivery, and other shipment delivery-related information.
R
Rates
Basic cost of a shipment, excluding accessorial charges.
Rate Confirmation
The paperwork a carrier or driver receives showing the pick-up location, delivery location, miles, weight of shipment, and the destination.
Re consignment
Any changes made in the consignment of a shipment before delivery is accomplished.
Redelivery
An attempt to deliver the freight back to the consignee after the freight was originally refused.
Reefer
A 53 foot refrigerated trailer that can haul refrigerated or frozen loads.
Refusal
Freight for which delivery was attempted; however, the consignee was not willing to accept the goods for a number of potential reasons.
Return to Shipper
A shipment being sent back to the shipper with or without freight/ accessory charges.
Road Driver
A driver that does not usually perform the final delivery of the freight; rather, the road driver hauls the freight from terminal to terminal, generally during the night.
S
Scale Ticket
A record given at a commercial vehicle scale showing the weight of the loaded trailer including the weight of the tractor.
Seal Intact
The seal placed on a trailer door that has not been broken.
Seals and Locks
Devices designed to ensure the security and contents of a trailer. Seals are metal, self-locking strips with numbers that match the numbers on the manifest. They have to actually be broken in order to access the contents of the trailer.
Shipment
A single consignment of one or more pieces from one shipper, at one address; signed for in one lot; and moving on one waybill to one receiver at one destination.
Shipper
The person/company that gives the shipment to the carrier for delivery to the consignee; the person/company shipping the freight.
Shortage
A situation that occurs when a shipment has fewer pieces than are called for on the freight bill.
Sleeper
A truck tractor that has a sleeping compartment in the cab.
Sleeper Teams
Two drivers who operate a truck equipped with a sleeper berth. While one driver sleeps in the berth to accumulate mandatory off-duty time, the other driver operates the vehicle.
Spotting
Placing a trailer in a required place for loading or unloading.
T
Third Party
Paying party other than the shipper or consignee. Terms can be prepaid or collect.
Transportation Management System (TMS)
A software application that helps to route freight, quote freight, and complete the supply chain through planning, executing, and tracking shipment orders.
Trace
To check the movement of a shipment.
Tractor
The cab, or the engine-powered vehicle, used to pull a trailer.
Tractor Trailer
Tractor and semitrailer combination; a complete rig.
Trailer
The part of the rig used to haul goods. It is hooked up to an engine-powered tractor.
Transload
An unloading method where you are taking off product and reloading onto equipment.
Truckload
Truckload shipping is the movement of large amounts of homogeneous cargo, generally the amount necessary to fill an entire semi-trailer or intermodal container.
TONU – Truck Order Not Used
The cancellation fee for when an order is scheduled to ship and the truck is dispatched, but then the order is canceled.
V
Van
A trailer with an enclosed cargo space.
W
Waiting Time
When a vehicle is held at a pickup or delivery site beyond the specified free time.
Warehouse
Storage place for products. Principal warehouse activities include receipt of product, storage, order picking and shipment.
Waybill
A document issued by a carrier giving details and instructions relating to the shipment of a consignment of goods.
Weight
Max weight a trucker can haul is 45k of product including pallet weight.
WMS (Warehouse Management System)
A software application designed to support and optimize warehouse functionality and distribution center management.
Z
Zone
An area or route for pickup and/or delivery operations. Also applies to specific areas of the dock for loading and unloading.